Haitian American filmmaker Jerry LaMothe’s screenplay The Promise Keeper was one of the three projects selected to receive a grant from the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation (WJSFF). The announcement was made on May 10 during the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment first “Made in NY” media summit in Harlem.
The daylong media summit featured industry talks and a resource fair for New Yorkers interested in the media and entertainment industry. LaMothe and fellow screenwriters Ashley Nicole Black and Varun Bhuchar each received a Filmmaker grant from WJSFF for their screenplays, The Promise Keeper, The Destination and The Descent.
The Promise Keeper follows a critically-acclaimed Haitian-American writer, who visits Haiti for the first time following his best friend’s deportation back to Haiti. The film, which Lamothe worked on for six years, is inspired by true events and “pays homage” to the filmmaker’s childhood best friend and father.
“It was definitely both a surprise and an honor to receive a grant from the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation,” Lamothe said. “I wasn’t even made aware of their participation up until the day before the event. When they announced we were recipients of a grant during the ceremony, I was definitely touched.”